The 8 Most Bizarre Body Modification Surgeries

Taken as either an act of rebellion or expression, body modification can be both fascinating and unnerving. Below are eight of the most cringe-worthy feats of self-transformation.

1. Tightlacing

Within a small community of body modification enthusiasts, corsets are back. Also referred to as “corset training” or “waist training,” tightlacing involves donning increasingly tighter corsets that stiffen posture and narrow waists to extreme degrees. Tightlacers typically have a mentor who helps them pace their waist reduction without complications. Even done slowly, tightlacing can cause indigestion, shortness of breath, back problems, and the mysterious chronic cough that lead 19th centuries scientists to suspect corsets caused tuberculosis.

2. Pointed Ears

Sci-fi and fantasy fans rejoice; you too can have pointed ears like a Vulcan, elf, or leprechaun. The procedure involves cutting the cartilage at the top of the ear then sewing it back together in a point. While many are opting for the new procedure, it should be approached with caution. Cartilage is difficult to mold and the surgery carries a high risk of infection.

3. Subdermal Implant

A subdermal implant consists of sterile body jewelry being placed between skin and muscle or bone. The result is a raised, three dimensional design that pops out without changing the skin above it. Many use subdermal implants to emphasize tattoos or piercings on the skin around the implant.

4. Earlobe Gauging

Gauging an earlobe involves slowly widening a piercing with by inserting progressively larger plugs over time. Skin has an inherent elasticity, but after a certain point (size 2 gauges for most) the stretched skin won’t shrink even if the gauges are taken out. Many who gauged their ears in the nineties are now turning to plastic surgery to repair the permanent hole in their lobes.

5. Tongue Splitting

Tongue splitting, or tongue bifurcation, involves severing the tongue down the middle to give it a forked look. Many who undergo the procedure, usually by scalpel or surgical laser, have a one-to-two week healing period and find it difficult to talk after the procedure. New York, Delaware, Illinois, and Texas all have laws banning tongue splitting for minors or the general population.

6. Corset Piercings

Corset piercings involve a series of symmetrical rings attached in two lines down the back and waist. Eyelets of the rings are then used to lace a ribbon in the manner of a corset to emphasize the taper of the waist. The procedure requires many surface piercings which have high risks of rejection, migration and infection, so corset piercings are usually only left in for one to two weeks. If left in longer, scarring is a certainty and the piercings may never fully heal.

7. Scarification

This one’s pretty much how it sounds: cutting, scratching, etching or burning skin to utilize the unique appearance of scarred tissue. Popular methods include branding, rubbing ink in fresh wounds, and “hatching” and area with short strokes of a scalpel. While some of the scarified claim it hurts about as much as a tattoo, scarification typically takes longer to recover and has a higher risk of infection.

8. Eyeball (Corneal) Tattoos

Inking the eyeball first started in the late 19th century as a means to cover corneal scars caused by diseases that can leave an unslightly semi-transparent area on the eye. It was also found to improve eyesight in people with alibinism, keratoconus, or coloboma; although, contacts now treat these eye issues more effectively. Today corneal tattooing is usually a cosmetic procedure used to give ink fanatics a unique gaze. The procedure carries risks of complications like keratitis, persistent irritation, blindness, and the ink will fade and shrink much faster than skin tattoos.